Why Won't Al Franken Talk About Single-Payer Healthcare?

I WANT TO GIVE YOU A TASTE OF WHERE THE LIBERAL MEDIA IS,
THAT'S HERE AT TYT.
BECAUSE OF YOUR SUPPORT WE HIRED
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS, AND NAOMI LACHANCE IS ONE OF THOSE
REPORTERS, I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH WHAT SHE DOES SHE CAUGHT UP
WITH AL FRANKEN AFTER THE SENATE VOTE IN REGARD TO REPLACING THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, AND SHE ASKED ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT WE ALL
WANT TO KNOW ABOUT -- IS SINGLE-PAYER ON THE TABLE?
IS
THAT SOMETHING DEMOCRATS WILL FIGHT FOR?
HERE IS WHAT AL FRANKEN HAD TO SAY.
>>MY NAME IS NAOMI LACHANCE, I'M WITH TYT POLITICS.
WHAT YOU
THINK IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF SINGLE-PAYER WORKING AS
RECONCILIATION?
YOU ARE GOING TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SINGLE-PAYER?
AXMAN OF THE PEOPLE.
>>MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
>>I DON'T HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THAT.
YOU RUN AS A
LIBERAL, YOU RUN AS AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WILL REPRESENT
THOSE ON THE LEFT -- THAT SHOULDN'T BE A DIFFICULT
QUESTION TO ANSWER.
>>THE REASON I SAY MIXED FEELINGS IS THAT SOMETIMES
PEOPLE COME UP TO POLITICIANS AND THEY AREN'T QUITE READY TO
ANSWER AN ISSUE.
IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE REPORTER, THAT IS
EXACTLY WHAT THE REPORTER'S JOB IS, I AM PROUD OF NAOMI DOING
EXACTLY WHAT SHE SHOULD FOR THE YOUNG TURKS, SHE SHOULD PUT THEM
ON THE SPOT.
THEY LIKE TO HAVE PRESCHEDULED INTERVIEWS.
SOMETIMES THEY GET AMBUSHED BY JERKS ASKING ILLEGITIMATE
QUESTIONS.
YOU GET JESSE WATTERS RUNNING AROUND THERE, ETC.
HE'S
TRYING TO TRAP THEM INTO A FALSE SOUNDBITE FOR FOX NEWS.
THAT'S
WHY YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE QUESTION, AND THE QUESTION SHE
ASKED IS THE SINGLE MOST LEGITIMATE QUESTION YOU COULD
HAVE ON THIS HEALTHCARE ISSUE.
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE A
PROGRESSIVE, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR, PEOPLE ALWAYS TELL ME YOU SHOULD
RUN FOR PRESIDENT BECAUSE YOU ARE SUCH A PROGRESSIVE, AND SHE
ASKED YOU ABOUT SINGLE-PAYER -- AT A MINIMUM YOU COULD SAY WE
ARE STILL CONSIDERING THAT ISSUE, MAYBE WE COULD SET UP AN
INTERVIEW LATER.
YOU DON'T WANT TO SET UP AN INTERVIEW, THAT'S
FINE, WE ARE STILL CONSIDERING THE ISSUE.
BUT NO, WE AREN'T
GOING TO ANSWER SINGLE-PAYER -- HE'S NOT ON THE RECORD.
IF HE
WAS, THIS WOULD BE EASY.
HE COULD SAY I WILL TELL YOU I'M
FOUR SINGLE-PAYER.
BUT FRANKEN, STILL -- MMM, I DON'T KNOW, I'M
NOT SURE.
WELL, GET SURE.
THAT'S YOUR JOB.
>>THAT IS THE REASON I DON'T HAVE MIXED FEELINGS.
THE
DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT IS ALREADY PAVING THE WAY FOR HIM
TO RUN AS A PRESIDENT, AND SO THEY HAVEN'T LEARNED THEIR
LESSON.
I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST AL FRANKEN, HE JUST DOESN'T
REPRESENT THE BEST INTERESTS OF PROGRESSIVES.
HE HASN'T FOUGHT
FOR PROGRESSIVES.
THIS IS A PROGRESSIVE ISSUE THAT HE
COULD'VE TAKEN A CHANCE TO ADDRESS, AND HE DIDN'T ADDRESS
IT.
IT'S NOT A DIFFICULT QUESTION.
HE IS IN OFFICE.
THESE
ARE THINGS HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THINKING ABOUT.
HE GOT CAUGHT
OFF GUARD?
YOU COULD JUST SAY YES, WE WILL FIGHT FOR THAT AGGRESSIVELY.
BUT I DOUBT HE WILL.
>>FROM TIME TO TIME L FRANKEN WILL DO SOMETHING GOOD.
HE
PROBABLY HAD THE BEST QUESTIONING OF NEIL GORESUCH
OUT OF ALL THE DEMOCRATIC SENATORS.
THAT HE WILL GO BACK
IN HIDING, AND WE WILL WAIT FOR THE NEXT GROUNDHOG DAY FOR HIM
TO COME UP.
THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH SENATOR AL FRANKEN.
THE
REASON HE DOESN'T EVEN SAY WE ARE CONSIDERING IT -- WAIT, ARE
YOU CONSIDERING SINGLE-PAYER?
THAT'S RADICAL.
STOP THINKING
ABOUT WHAT FOX NEWS WILL SAY.
OF COURSE THEY WILL SAY THAT.
YOUR
JOB IS TO DEFEAT THEM.
IN THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE, THE
BATTLEFIELD OF IDEAS.
BUT IF YOU ARE SO SCARED OF YOUR OWN IDEAS
THAT YOU ARE EVEN WILLING TO SAY YOU ARE CONSIDERING IT, THEN YOU
CAN SEE WHY PROGRESSIVES, REAL PROGRESSIVES, ARE OUT THERE
GOING NO WAY, AL FRANKEN, THAT'S SUPER INTERESTING.
SO FAR ONLY
WASHINGTON FINDS THE IDEA OF AL FRANKEN RUNNING REALLY
INTERESTING.
BY THE WAY, IF AL FRANKEN ONCE TO SHUT US UP,
GREAT.
HE IS A SENATOR, HE CAN GRAB THAT MICROPHONE AT ANY TIME
AND TELL US ALL THE WONDERFULLY PROGRESSIVE THINGS HE'S GOING TO
DO AND VOTE FOR AND FIGHT FOR.
I USED TO WORK WITH AL FRANKEN AT
AIR AMERICA, HE WAS MORE AGGRESSIVE BACK THEN, BUT HIS
POLITICAL STRATEGY, AND EVERYONE IN WASHINGTON KNOWS THIS, IT'S
OBVIOUS IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING POLITICS -- BE SUPER CAREFUL,
PEEK YOUR HEAD OUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT DON'T ROCK THE
BOAT.
THAT IS NOT AN INTERESTING CANDIDATE IN THESE TIMES.
IT'S
NOT MY POLICY, IT'S YOURS.
YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT.

Why Won't Al Franken Talk About Single-Payer Healthcare?

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